Scions of Fate

Scions of Fate Overview

Scions of Fate is one of the most popular MMORPGs in the Korean and Chinese markets, boasting over 100 million registered players. While it hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success in the West, Scions of Fate is still an enjoyable, brightly colored game. Notable game features include player run shops, faction based PvP, and an in depth guild (called ‘House’) system. There are six classes to chose from during character creation, note that your character’s gender is tied to the option you select during account creation. The classes are:

Swordsman - Melee warriors with fast attack speed, high accuracy, and dodge rates. Swordsmen are offensive fighters with average health and defense.

Bladesman - The main tanking class of Scions of Fate. Bladesman have the highest defense and health ratings but deal less damage than other classes. They also possess the only AoE (area of effect) ability in the game.

Archer - Masters of ranged combat. Archers must keep their enemies at a distance since they suffer from low defense and health ratings. Luckily, a high dodge rate gives them the ability to get away.

Healer - The only true caster class. Healers start out in mostly a supportive roll but become heavy damage dealers during late game levels.

Spearman - Spearmen have the highest attacking power in the game but have a bit lower health and defense than other melee classes.

Ninja - The latest class addition. Ninjas have the fastest attack speed with their preferred dagger weapon class. Ninjas also have the unique ability to go into stealth mode.

Players won’t be able to learn skills until level 10 and must wait until level 35 to join one of the two warring factions; The Order or Chaos.

Scions of Fate Screenshots

Scions of Fate Featured Video

Full Review

Scions of Fate Review

By Erhan Altay

Recognized as MMORPG of the year back in 2005 by the Korean government, Scions or Fate (or Yulgang as its known in Asia) has swept the Asian market by storm. In Korea alone there are a reported 100 million game accounts with a peak concurrent user rate of 600,000 players. Buoyed by its success, Netgame released the North American version in early 2007. While it hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success here, Scions of Fate is still a simple, beginner friendly MMORPG with appealing graphics though the lack of features hinder its lasting value.

Asian Jingles

Scions of Fate follows an irritating trend by forcing players to launch the game from the official site rather than a desktop icon. Fortunately, clicking on the icon opens your browser automatically but the extra step still seems unnecessary. A special plug-in must be installed by those using FireFox which is a further inconvenience. Upon launching the game, players are greeted by some fantastic oriental music throughout the server selection and character creation process. There is a single server with three channels available which helps emphasize the population difference between the Asian and Western versions. Character creation is wholly unimpressive; there is a decent selection of classes (6) but appearance customization is nearly nonexistent. There is no hair or face style customization, the only options players have is between 6 hair colors and three ‘voices’ which have no real application.

Ready, Set, Grind!

New players start out in a small town and will make two observations during the first few minutes of gameplay. First, the game graphics are very bright and easy on the eyes. The visuals may not be technically impressive but the character models and environments well drawn and look great. There is an obvious anime influence to the graphics, characters have big eyes while mouths and noses are tiny lines. The second observation is the lack of a game tutorial. Players are left to wander around and eventually make their way outside to start grinding. Movement is done through a simple point and click method with double click activating auto attack. You start with a weapon in your inventory so be sure to equip it before attacking any of the local bobcats or toads.

Quest Delivery

As you level up, a message screen will inform you of any quests that have become available. The experience rate moves along at a moderate rate during the first few levels but before long you’ll realize how slow it gets. Quests are few and far between which leaves players to grind on the same animals for several levels at a time. Hours will be spent near the first town fighting various woodland creatures until at least level 20. A larger variety of monsters and maps would of been welcome. Luckily, players don’t need to worry about picking up gold after each kill since its automatically collected. Equipment and gems do drop from time to time but these are rare and easy to pick up with a quick mouse click.

You Got No Skills

The first 10 levels are especially boring since players are given no customization options as they level. There are four game stats; Int, Str, Vit, and Dex but these raise automatically, there are no points to distribute. Players don’t receive skill points until level 10 and even then new skills are only received every few levels. A unique skill combo system is available that allows players to chain up to three skills together and perform them as a single chain of powerful attacks. While this sort of combo attack uses up more chi (mana) than using the skills individually, it deals far more damage in a shorter period of time.

A House Divided

Upon reaching level 35, players may join either of the two factions. ‘The Order’ is committed to the Rule of Law while ‘Chaos’ is made up of free spirits who don’t take kindly to conformity. Each faction has slightly different clothing styles and weapon types but more importantly, members of opposing factions can freely attack one another. Level 35 is also when players can create their own House, or guild. Houses can gain levels (from 1-6) based on member donations and activity. Starting at House level 4, members are issued matching uniforms.

Enchantments and Upgrades

There is no crafting method in Scions of Fate but it does have an in depth equipment upgrade system with three different methods. Firstly, players can enchant their weapons and armor with emeralds and sapphires. These gems drop off monsters and have random stats which are added to the item the gem is used on. Equipment can be enchanted 2-4 times with a lower chance of success each time. The second method is enhancement which requires rubies. Successful enhancement increases a weapon’s attack by 6 and an armor’s defense by 3. Each item can be enhanced up to 10 times but the failure rate increases significantly with each upgrade. The final method is using amethyst gems to give equipment special bonuses like increased attack speed or a poison ability. Amethyst gems don’t drop from monsters, they must be purchased from an NPC and can be applied to an item up to ten times.

Pet Shop, Personal Shop

Pets can serve as both mounts and assistants in battle but are only available through the game’s premium shop. The publishers try hard to keep the premium shop on players mind throughout the game. An icon for it is always displayed on the left hand side of the screen and upon death, players are informed that if they are willing to fork over a few bucks, they can avoid the experience penalty. I normally don’t mind cash shops, these games need to generate revenue after all, but the amount of in-your-face cash shop pimping struck me as an act of desperation. Luckily, starting at level 40 players are free to trade premium items (like pets) with other players in exchange for in-game items or gold. Personal shops can be opened by anyone and becoming a successful trader is probably the best way to make money and fund your equipment upgrade costs.

Final Verdict: Fair

Scions of Fate is the most basic MMORPG I’ve played. The graphics and gameplay are easy to pick up but offer little excitement. If you’re looking for a brightly colored anime styled game that’s not too complicated, give the game a try. Otherwise, there are too many alternatives available for me recommend Scions of Fate.